1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to footgear accessories and, more particularly, to a pair of improved "walking soles" for use with rigid-bottomed footgear such as ski boots. The walking soles include means for attaching a handle in order to convert them into a boot tree or carrier assembly.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The sport of skiing requires specifically configured boots which enable the skier to assume a correct skiing posture, in which the knees are slightly bent while the upper body is disposed substantially perpendicular to the ground. Typically, these boots comprise a flat, substantially inflexible sole portion arranged for cooperation with the top flat surface of a snow ski, and an upper portion which extends angularly forwardly at the skier's ankle. The sole portion includes front and rear projecting ledge portions arranged for releasable engagement by toe and heel pieces, respectively, of a ski binding mechanism arranged to securely mount the boot removably to a ski during use. The upper portion includes buckles or other fasteners for tightening the boot about the skier's ankle and lower leg.
Unfortunately, although this boot configuration is ideal for a skier on the slopes, it does not allow a person to walk comfortably about once his or her skis have been removed. The wearer's discomfort in walking is due both to the stiffness of the sole portions of the boots, which prevent the toes from flexing and the foot from bending at the ball as in normal walking movements, and to the angled configuration of the upper portions of the boots, which prevents the skier from unbending at the knee. The wearer's discomfort can be alleviated to some degree by unfastening the upper, ankle supporting portion of the boots in order to enable the leg to move independently within. However, this tends to break down the integrity of the upper portions, and often results in chafing and blistering of the leg and heel.
Very often, skiers attempt to avoid the problems of walking in their boots by bringing along an extra, more comfortable pair of walking shoes or warm-up boots which they change into before and after skiing. Typically, the skier arrives at the ski area wearing the more comfortable footgear and carrying the ski boots on a boot tree having automatically adjustable heel and toe retainers for mounting the boots in a sole-to-sole configuration. Then, upon arriving, he or she changes into the ski boots and mounts the comfortable footgear on the boot tree for storage in a locker. However, most people find that the practice of changing shoes every time the skier takes a break, such as to go to the warm-up lodge, the cafeteria, or the rest rooms, is timeconsuming and inconvenient.
Various attempts have been made in the past to eliminate the need for an extra pair of comfortable boots or shoes by providing a special "walking sole" which can be detachably mounted on the bottom surface of ski boots to permit the wearer to walk comfortably upright on foot. Two such attempts are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,228,602 to Groves and U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,104 to Calkin et al. In both cases, the walking sole comprises a body portion having a generally flat upper face and a longitudinally curved lower trend face, with the body portion being thickest just below the ball of the wearer's foot. Attachment means are provided on the front and rear of the body portion to engage the toe and the heel, respectively, of the wearer's ski boot. While wearing walking soles of this type, a skier can walk in a substantially normal fashion simply by shifting his or her weight forwardly and causing the boot to rock about the thickest curved area in a manner similar to a foot bending at its ball.
Both the sole of Groves and the sole of Calkin et al suffer from a number of drawbacks. One drawback is storage and transportation, since the soles must be carried separately and stored in a locker or other safe location, in addition to the owner's boot tree and other assorted equipment. Another problem is that the curvature of the bottom of the soles provides a certain amount of resistance to the skier's rocking movement about the thickest portion, and thus increases the stress on the skier's foot, especially when walking uphill. In addition, the front and rear attachment means on both of these prior art walking soles are rather complex, spring-loaded or manually adjustable mechanisms which require a certain degree of sophistication on the part of the user, and which could easily malfunction in freezing conditions or when clogged by ice or snow or the like.
Accordingly, a long-felt need exists for a new and useful walking sole and carrier assembly for rigid-bottomed footgear such as ski boots.